Insights post-GDM
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Stakeholder Perspectives on Diabetes Prevention through Physical Activity after Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.
IRAS ID
312509
Contact name
Elysa Ioannou
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Hallam University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Research Summary
This study wants to better understand women’s experiences after Gestational Diabetes, meaning diabetes during pregnancy. The aim is to specifically understand what could help or makes it harder for women to be more physical active, as this could be useful for reducing risk of getting diabetes again. For this reason, the study plans to interview women who have had Gestational Diabetes in the past 5 years. Other stakeholders, for example health care professionals who work with women during or after Gestational Diabetes, like midwives and GPs will also be interviewed separately. This is so to better understand where and how these experts think physical activity could be promoted, and by who. It is also a chance to see how aware these professionals are of how hard or easy some women may find it to be active after pregnancy and why. The interviews can be done face-to-face, via online video calling or by telephone call. These will be scheduled according to each participant’s convenience, and there will be no emphasis on i.e., interviewing all women first and then stakeholders. Instead, interviews will be scheduled and happen as participants are recruited, with both groups being actively recruited at the same time. Women with previous Gestational Diabetes will be offered a £10 thank you voucher after the interview.
Summary of Results
Thank you for your participation in the study ‘Stakeholder Perspectives on Diabetes Prevention through Physical Activity after Gestational Diabetes Mellitus’ or ‘Insights post-GDM’ for short. This study took place in a mixture of places including virtually online, over the phone or face-to-face at Sheffield Hallam University from September 2022 until November 2023. This study was sponsored by Sheffield Hallam University. The Chief Investigator was Elysa Ioannou, who undertook this project as part of a PhD project. The PhD opportunity was funded through a Graduate Teaching Assistant scholarship at Sheffield Hallam University. There were no competing interests identified by any of the study investigators.
Women who had been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes in the past and were not pregnant at the time were involved in designing this study. This group of women helped us choose important questions to ask during interviews, they looked at the informed consent sheet and information sheet and at the end of the project spoke to use about some of the key results.
The reason for this study was to better understand what could help or what made it harder to be active after Gestational Diabetes. We also wanted to find out what could work to help women be more active after pregnancy, and how healthcare could be involved. This is important because research does not look at physical activity, and we know being active after Gestational Diabetes can be really difficult. It is also important because being active can reduce risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
So, we interviewed women who have had Gestational Diabetes within five years and a range of healthcare professionals that could come in contact with these women. We also spoke to other professionals outside of healthcare who could be important for helping women be active after Gestational Diabetes.Overall, we found that there are reasons outside of each woman’s ability to change that are important for being active. Childcare was found to be really important, with women saying they need to have childcare options in the same spaces as activity is held. We also found that there seems to be many options for exercising with baby, that are only suitable up until baby reaches a certain age. These were not helpful when women had other children, or where baby did not like these options. Women needed flexible and cheaper access to spaces where they could be active. Some women felt connecting with other women who had had Gestational Diabetes was important, and the need for better support from healthcare postnatally.
The range of professionals and healthcare professionals we spoke to agreed that there needs to be better support postpartum. They told us better follow up could be good so that healthcare professional could connect women to physical activity programs and spaces. Professionals also thought there is a need to change the way healthcare services are delivered and to make physical activity spaces easier to access for women who have children.
These results will be helpful to researchers who want to find out ways they can help women to be active after Gestational Diabetes. They may also be helpful for policy makers to guide spending. If the results from this study are used in future, this may also help make it easier for women who have had Gestational Diabetes to be more active and reduce their risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
The first part of this study has been published here: https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fu2790089.ct.sendgrid.net%2Fls%2Fclick%3Fupn%3Du001.QwnS5iG-2B4nwcunWxC03fkHN8AV2VBr8lfbm0UT9W1uCKn186ZaMcqs4VKdZC3nFR7rKM_a04dWCHmDh7gi4hRuvmsd-2FMEDkPNm6D0IRdq0o1v81ddTO8VU-2FS7KtUDAWZRCqjXVN8UIy4bKvkE6uB-2Bw8qsf0A7ah2A9FUIZxgcIoZjbaftCVtqEUdBK7sgKWVB17JsCogDreGtwBXdtjdp1WI-2FdxJSHP-2BVpQM3FgfNY0DOCGzNs3JbA9Aq5GcXYP3N-2F0xUSelsFfVHGNxfCute-2B-2F1rZA-3D-3D&data=05%7C02%7Csurrey.rec%40hra.nhs.uk%7C7678f585c4cd477e947708dc58a06ae1%7C8e1f0acad87d4f20939e36243d574267%7C0%7C0%7C638482693199399760%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=FhqK2lRnX%2Fw85uO3hFtrV%2FFoAzG2Oh4ISG6%2FCzyVdIQ%3D&reserved=0 The second part of this study is currently under review with the view to publish in due course. The results from this study were also further disseminated with charities including Diabetes UK and a local Sheffield MP. No further research plans have been made at this time.
REC name
London - Surrey Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/PR/0744
Date of REC Opinion
18 Aug 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion